Remote customer interactive motor design system and method

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for the remote design of an electric motor (e.g. an AC or DC motor) by a customer through an interactive Web-based process. A typical system includes a Web server capable of delivering an interactive web page to a remote system. The web page includes one or more input fields allowing a user to specify motion performance requirement values applied to a design algorithm. The user may specify only some of the possible performance values. The design algorithm generates electric motor design parameters which will achieve the desired performance values. The algorithm also performs a parametric search through an existing parts database for at least some existing components which can be used in the electric motor design. The electric motor performance data is presented as an output to the user.

1 . A system for electric motor design, comprising: 
 a communication device for communicating a data entry request for one or more performance requirements of a desired electric motor to a remote user; and    a computing device for receiving the one or more performance requirements and generating one or more electric motor designs satisfying the one or more performance requirements;    wherein calculated performance information for each of the one or more electric motor designs are communicated back to the remote user by the computing device for evaluation by the remote user.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computing device performs a power calculation based on the one or more performance requirements from the remote user to check for power availability.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more performance requirements comprise a torque, a resistance, motor voltage, motor current, a supply voltage, a supply current, and a motion profile.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the communication device comprises an Internet-connected computer network device and the data entry request comprises one or more interactive web pages.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the Internet-connected computer network device comprises a web server coupled to a database server, the web server for preparing the one or more interactive web pages and receiving the one or more performance requirements and the database server for providing one or more existing component models available for selection by an electric motor design algorithm in a parametric search to be employed in the one or more stepper motor designs.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the one or more existing component models comprise one or more electric motor winding designs.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the electric motor design algorithm comprises a secure design algorithm blocked from review by the remote user.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising an e-commerce server coupled to the web server, the e-commerce server for receiving the one or more electric motor designs and generating a price quote for the one or more electric motor designs.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising an e-mail server coupled to the e-commerce server, where an electronic purchase order is received by the e-commerce server in response to the user accepting the price quote and the e-mail server to sends a confirmation e-mail message of the electronic purchase order.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the price quote comprises an identification code for the user to place an order by facsimile or telephone.  
   
   
       11 . A method for designing an electric motor, comprising: 
 communicating a data entry request for one or more performance requirements of a desired electric motor to a remote user;    receiving the one or more performance requirements;    generating one or more electric motor designs satisfying the one or more performance requirements;    calculating performance information for each of the one or more electric motor designs; and    communicating the calculated performance information for each of the one or more electric motor designs back to the remote user by the computing device for evaluation by the remote user.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising performing a power calculation based on the one or more performance requirements from the remote user to check for power availability before generating the one or more electric motor designs.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more performance requirements comprise a torque, a resistance, motor voltage, motor current, a supply voltage, a supply current, and a motion profile.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the data entry request comprises one or more interactive web pages from an Internet-connected computer network device.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the Internet-connected computer network device comprises a web server coupled to a database server and further comprising: 
 preparing the one or more interactive web pages with the web server;    receiving the one or more performance requirements with the web server; and    providing one or more existing component models with the database server for selection by an electric motor design algorithm in a parametric search to be employed in the one or more electric motor designs.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more existing component models comprise one or more electric motor winding designs.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the electric motor design algorithm comprises a secure design algorithm blocked from review by the remote user.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising receiving the one or more electric motor designs from the web server with an e-commerce server; and 
 generating a price quote for the one or more electric motor designs with the e-commerce server.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising receiving an electronic purchase order with the e-commerce server in response to the user accepting the price quote; and 
 sending a confirmation e-mail message of the electronic purchase order with the e-mail server.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the price quote comprises an identification code for the user to place an order by facsimile or telephone.